(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to tethered buoys. In particular, the present invention is directed to a recoverable optical fiber tethered buoy for use with underwater vehicles. The invention provides a capability to connect ocean surface visual or radio frequency sensors to an underwater mobile platform with a very high data rate link that is retrievable.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
There have been efforts to equip underwater vehicles with buoyant sensors and antennas on a tether that are deployed to the surface for a period of time and then winched back to the underwater vehicle. Prior art winches and buoys are relatively large and cannot be incorporated in the design of next generation underwater vehicles or current underwater vehicles that are near their maximum weight. What is needed is a smaller winch and buoy system that can be mounted to the aft of the sail of a next generation underwater vehicle to provide the critical capabilities of a recoverable tethered buoyed sensor and antenna.